Managed pressurized drilling operations utilize oil rigs having a pressurized drilling annulus. A rotating control device (RCD) is mounted atop the annulus and includes a sealing element to seal the annulus, aiding in the creation of the pressurized drilling environment. Conventional management of and condition detection for sealing elements in managed pressure drilling operation equipment is based on pressure measurement above and below the sealing element. In some cases, two sealing elements may be used to seal the annulus. Conventional monitoring of such systems involves measuring the pressure between the two sealing elements. Such pressure monitoring techniques are capable of detecting performance degradation associated with abrasive wear. However, catastrophic failure in managed pressurized drilling systems is often caused by sealing element fatigue and fracture, which are not detectable solely through these pressure measurements. As such, conventional condition detection does little to indicate impending failure of a sealing element. Additionally, conventional condition detection is hindered due to small leaks caused by dynamic movement of the pipe that can make it difficult for pressure measurements to serve as sole indicators of sealing element condition.
Moreover, lab tests of RCDs are made in purpose-built test rigs where tool joints are forced through RCD sealing elements. The failures seen in field installations stem from radial splitting and are different than the failures seen in lab test facilities, which involve symmetrical bulge type failure. There are also significant differences between the test and field geometries of the managed pressure drilling equipment. For example, in the test facilities, the pipe or shaft and sealing element are aligned to one another. However, in the field, the RCD and a blowout preventer (BOP) are aligned to the well head while the drill shaft is aligned to the rig, oftentimes causing misalignment. In conventional applications, any misalignment is taken up by the sealing element of the RCD. As a result, during rotation of the RCD, the sealing element can be subject to high cyclic loading and fatigue failure. Improvements in management, handling of alignment and sealing element condition monitoring are desired.